Schoolchildren to get 'healthy' school bags

Nadira Gunatilleke

The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry will introduce a scientific and healthy school bag for school children with the coordination of the Education Ministry.

Four million school bags will be produced under first phase, a Ministry spokesman said. Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva inspected samples of the new school bag yesterday. The spokesman said according to recent studies conducted by the ministry, the majority of schoolchildren face several health problems due to unhealthy and low quality school bags which do not meet required standards.

The most common health problems they face are problems in the spinal code, nerves and muscles located in the neck, shoulders and back. When schoolchildren become adults, they suffer from incurable back pains and pains in the neck, he said.

According to the spokesman, school bags available in the market have narrow and unstable belts which do not support the bag properly. The belts put pressure on the shoulders and the neck. When walking, the bags swing putting more pressure on schoolchildren's back, shoulders and neck. A scientifically manufactured school bag should hang tightly to the back of the child without moving while walking.

The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry consulted around 200 experts before producing the scientific school bag and also consulted children, parents, school principals and teachers. Community health doctors attached to the Family Health Bureau carried out the project. A public awareness raising campaign will be carried out by the ministry along with the Education Ministry to educate the public on proper school bags.